Name: Charles Strand
Title: Markis (Marquess)
Place of Birth: Västerbotten, Sweden
Age: 25
Appearance: Charles is a tall person, standing at close to 1.9 meters. He keeps a head of unkempt blonde hair and has bluish-green eyes. Of slim build, few would guess that this man was ever once a soldier. He looks more of a scholar to many. His standard attire is the blue regimental coat with yellow facings of the Swedish army over a white shirt and waistcoat. A belt secures the coat around his waist, as well as holding a cartridge box for his firearms. Another belt goes diagonally across his body, this one with a frog for his sabre. His hair is kept underneath a bandana and a tricorn above that.
The most striking feature of his clothing would be the number of weapons he has. A pistol holstered at his hip, hidden by the coat, a sabre at the waist and a carbine slung on his back.
Background: Born to a successful General, Charles could have had an easy life if he chose to. He could have just spent his days courting women, drinking alcohol and basically doing whatever he desired. However, almost as soon as he could talk or think for himself, Charles was determined to live up to his namesake, the famed Charles XII of Sweden. He was going to be a military man, just like the past king, and what better way was there to do it than to actually join the ranks of the army? Thus, before he was even of an acceptable age to join the army, he spent most of his time among the men of his father's army. He learned to shoot a musket from them, learned to fight with a sabre, and most importantly, he learned discipline. Once he reached 18, Charles didn't waste any time. He persuaded his father into letting him join the Västerbotten Regiment. After all, he was practically a soldier in all but name. All he needed was just approval for him to join. His father, thinking that he would be in no real danger, agreed.
Charles trained with the regiment, becoming one of the better soldiers of the regiment. Charles had insisted that he received the same treatment as the other soldiers. It was hard, but after a stern word from his father to the officers stating clearly that any signs of preferential treatment towards any soldier would not be tolerated, Charles' officers relented.
Then, in 1741, the Russo-Swedish war (Better known as the Hats' war) broke out. Charles, along with his father, were ordered to march out with the army to meet the Russians. Charles distinguished himself on the battlefield, but it was not without risks. He was injured over a dozen times, thankfully all of them not serious wounds. Although Sweden ultimately lost the war, and some territory along with it, to Russia, Charles and his father distinguished themselves well enough to be granted a title and land from the crown. The acquired a sizable plot of land along the new Swedish-Russian border and the crown's intention was all but obvious. Charles' father would be responsible for the safety of the border region should a new war with Russia break out.
In 1750, after the letter from the Spanish court arrived at the Strand household (Thanks in no small part to the Swedish King, who had no children of his own and decided to have the letter passed on to his Generals and members of the nobility), Charles' father thought that it would be a good idea for him to go elsewhere and perhaps even find a wife. At 25, Charles still had never been in a relationship. His entire life had been devoted to the military and Charles' father sought to put an end to that. Or at least just have Charles be less devoted to the army. Not adverse to the idea of an adventure, Charles agreed to go. As a parting gift, Charles' father stepped down from his post as the Markis, stating that he has had enough of warfare and fighting. The title passed on to Charles, but in his absence, Charles' father would oversee affairs of their March.
Personality: Charles is not a typical person of high birth. He dislikes wearing formal clothes and much rather prefers the standard uniform of the Swedish infantryman, of course with some minor adjustments to make himself look more presentable. He dislikes formal occasions, but he knows that due to his position, he would have to attend at least a few in his lifetime. He may appear crass and rude to anyone who expects something more from a person of his position, but very rarely does Charles mean to insult. It's just because he is still unused to spending time around other people of his stature. For much of his life, he spent his time around the lower classes, mainly the soldiers of his regiment, who more often than not were often recruited from the lowest classes of society. In fact, he sometimes enjoys pretending to be a lowly soldier, or at least a bodyguard, to mess around with other people.
Charles is also very straightforward. He doesn't lie about his views and opinions. If he doesn't like you, you will know. If he disagrees with you, he will make his opinion heard. It works as a double-edged sword. He knows that he would make very little friends this way, but he also knows that at least he won't be deceiving anyone else. He would also appreciate it if others were completely honest with him, regardless of whether your opinion of him is positive or negative.
A very independent man and adventure seeker, he chose to travel from Sweden to Spain on his own.
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Originally Posted by Darkshadowmark
